Overall this hotel was great. The location is near the Blue Mosque although it is a few streets away so don't expect it at your doorstep. The staff is incredibly friendly. They were extra helpful with bags and anything else that we needed, although their English was limited. The rooms are small but overall in good condition. The bathrooms were quirky, as many European bathrooms are to Americans. Breakfast was okay: meats, cheeses, bread, coffee, etc. One major negative was that the WIFI was not working when we were there, although we were able to pick it up in the street facing room from the store next door. Overall, a great hotel.

This hotel was in a great location - right near the Blue Mosque, we could see a sliver of the river from our window, and the facilities were perfectly adequate for the money. It's not on a main road so it was really quiet. The only downside was we were only there one night - on the second night they transfered us to another hotel (a very local one) which was horrible! I would recommend this hotel, but I hope you don't get moved like we did!

We booked two rooms through IstanbulHotels.com on 3/16 for Easter weekend for 67 Euros a night. The hotel website quoted 99 Euros. I initially tried to book directly with the hotel but they never acknowledged my emails. Twenty-four hours before arrival we received an email saying they had cancelled our reservation and sold our rooms to someone else. Their reason was that we did not give them 'real credit card numbers.' They never wrote to ask if we had made an mistake in the credit card number which we do not believe is what happened. We do think they cancelled when they realized they could get more money by booking guests directly. We called the booking agent who refused to accpet any responsibilty as did the hotel. Never again will we use either this hotel or booking agent. Beware!

The Hotel Umay is without a doubt the worst hotel I have ever had the misfortune of staying in. We stayed for two nights. The first bedroom we were given was extremely damp. There was mould growing on the walls, filthy floors and electric wires and sockets hanging out of the walls. The beds are shabby and small. It was a health and safety hazard on many levels. The bathroom was tiny, with no proper ventilation and the plastic lamp above the mirror had been sellotaped together. The floor and walls were filthy in the corners and the shower was tiny and disgusting. We complained after our first night and were given another bedroom that was scarcely any better. The young man on Reception is quite the rudest, most sullen person I have ever encountered working in the "hospitality" industry. I wouldn't even recommend this hotel to an enemy!